Chapter 23
SAGE
“I’m so excited to see you in a couple of hours.” Parker’s voice is soft on the phone. “I really want to spoil you and show you that we could really be the full package,” Parker says.
I murmur my agreement, not wanting to say that I don’t know how excited I actually am, but I don’t know what else to say.
Everything that he says to me seems to be going so fast, and I don’t really understand why he likes me.
He’s barely asked any questions about me, and he seems to only talk about my appearance and how good I look on his arm.
I should be happy. He is handsome. He hasn’t pushed me into doing anything.
He shows me that he’s interested in me. He’s made it very clear, and yet it doesn’t feel like there’s a real spark between us.
I don’t know if I’m overthinking it. I don’t know if it’s because I have this crazy chemistry with Dalton, but for now I’m going to ignore it.
“So, are you sure I can’t pick you up?” Parker says.
I pause because I know that’s what he wants. I know he’s waiting for an invitation.
“No, I’m good. I’ll meet you there.” I hear the doorbell ringing, and I hurry to the front in surprise. “Hey, can you hold on a second? There’s someone here.”
“Okay, sure.”
I open the door, and I see Dalton standing there with an impish grin on his face.
“Hey, are you busy? Can we talk?”
“Oh, sure. Hey, Parker. Dalton’s just come over and …”
“Not that jerk-ass again,” he says.
“Excuse me?” I ask, shocked that he called Dalton that.
“Nothing, nothing. I was just coughing,” Parker says. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you later.”
We hang up, and I usher Dalton into the condo.
“You look like you’re getting ready for something,” he says.
I forgot about the curlers I put in this morning and laugh as I touch my hair self-consciously.
“Yeah, Parker and I have another date. What’s going on?”
“You’re still seeing him?” Dalton asks, shaking his head, looking pissed.
“Yeah, we have been dating.”
“He’s not a good guy, Sage.”
“There is nothing wrong with him. I don’t know why you would say that.”
“I don’t get a good feeling about him.”
“Well, I get a great feeling about him,” I lie.
I don’t know why I don’t want to be honest about the fact that there is something about Parker that’s not quite right. Maybe I’m just being stubborn.
“So, can we talk?”
“Sure,” I say. “The girls are out at the mall right now, so it’s just you and me.”
“Good,” he says. “I’m going to grab a glass of water, if you don’t mind.”
“Go right ahead. Be my guest.” I laugh. “Or rather, I’m still your guest.”
“You’re not. This is your home, Sage.”
I nod and follow him into the kitchen. I watch him open the fridge, grab a glass, and fill it with water before taking a seat at the countertop.
“I just wanted to tell you that Brett has some leads on your father.”
“Oh, okay, cool. Like real leads or …”
“We are going to find out this afternoon. He’s going to make a house call to someone who might or might not have met your mother all those years ago.” He glances at me. “I just want to find out from you if you want us to still proceed with this.”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I want that?”
“Because we don’t know what we’re going to find. We don’t know if your father is a good man, if he’s a bad man, if he wants a relationship with you, or if he doesn’t. It’s a lot of pressure, and it could bring up a lot of emotions. I just want to ensure you are going to be okay, no matter what.”
“I’ll be fine,” I say, swallowing past the lump that has formed in my throat.
His words really hit me because I haven’t really thought about the possibility that my dad would want absolutely nothing to do with me. The fantasy of him being happy and surprised that I existed has always been first and foremost in my mind, but the reality is that might not be the case.
“I just want to ensure you have support,” he continues.
“I do. I mean”—I lick my lips nervously—“I guess I should tell Rosie.”
I let out a long sigh. I want to tell my sister; she’s my best friend, and yet a part of me is nervous that she’ll look at me differently, that I won’t be her sister, even though we’ll still be sisters one hundred percent. Blood or not doesn’t change that, but a part of me is just scared.
“Hey, you okay?” Dalton’s voice lowers, and he heads over and sits next to me. He grabs my hand and squeezes it gently. “Whatever happens, it’s going to be okay, and I’ll be here for you.”
“Thanks, that’s really nice of you. You don’t have to be so nice.”
“We both know I’m not that nice.” He grins.
“Yeah, you’re not that nice, but the moments when you are nice, when I see the you that you don’t want everyone else to see, it’s just really special. It warms me to you.” I take a deep breath. “I’m going to tell Rosie; I don’t want to have these secrets from her.”
“Secrets are bad,” he says, nodding. “You know, secrets can just creep up on you and take over everything. It’s always better when they don’t exist.”
“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” I pry.
He waits a beat before answering. “Maybe, maybe not. So, you really are determined to go on another date with Parker then, huh?”
“Well, he is really into me, and he’s handsome, and he’s rich, and he really sees a future with us. He’s already asked me what sort of diamond I would want. He’s got a really good job, and he has a huge house and a nice car and …”
“Is that all that it takes?” Dalton asks sadly.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, is that what you really want—a nice car, a huge house, a big diamond, and a man who doesn’t make you laugh or smile or do this to you?” He reaches over and grabs my hand, holding it gently while his thumb caresses my palm.
“What are you doing, Dalton?”
“I’m just saying that just because he has a lot of qualities that you have been looking for doesn’t mean that he’s a good guy.”
“Doesn’t mean that you’re a better guy.”
“I never said that I was, but I’m pretty sure I’m better than him.”
“Well, I don’t know that, and I’m still getting to know him.”
“And I don’t want you to hate me, but I need to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t want you to think that I’ve overstepped. I’ve got some files on my phone.”
“Okay. What files?”
“Just read them.” He grabs his phone, opens something, and hands it over to me.
“What am I looking at?”
“You’re looking at a police report,” he says.
“Seriously?” I scan his screen.
A victim, whose name was redacted, accused a man by the name of Parker Preston of trying to slip a roofie into her drink.
I press my lips together. “What is this, Dalton?”
“I think that your Parker is not as sweet and innocent as he portrays himself to be. The man’s got issues.”
“How do you know this? How did you get this?”
“I had Brett look into him.”
“Are you freaking kidding me? Why would you do that?”
“Because, like I said, something about him sent warning bells off in my head, and I have a very good intuition when it comes to sensing bad guys.”
I need a minute from his proximity, so I walk over to the window. I look out at the water and take five deep breaths. A few seconds later, I hear footsteps coming toward me, and he stops right behind me.
“I’m sorry.”
I don’t say anything in response. Instead, I watch a surfer attempt to get back on his board and ride away. The water is so treacherous. It looks so beautiful, yet it’s dark, deep, and murky.
I turn to him slowly. “You sure it’s Parker?”
He nods. “There are other reports that date back to his college days at Stanford.”
I wait for him to go on.
“He’s never been arrested though. They were just reports, nothing to prove what he did.”
“But he seemed so nice.”
“They always seem nice, Sage. Haven’t you noticed that?”
I nod and look back at the water.
For some reason, what he showed me doesn’t shock me.
In some ways, it does, but I know you never really know a man until you know him.
And I don’t really know Parker. I never thought he’d be capable of such a thing, but I’m not taken aback as I should be.
In fact, it’s the opposite. I feel bad for the women who didn’t get justice.
I wish there were a way to ensure they got their resolution.
I am lucky I was stopped from getting to that position, because I have no doubt Dalton gave me factual information.
“I should call him,” I say, though I’m not really sure what I would say to him.
“For what?” Dalton sounds surprised. “To ask him questions?”
“To call off the date.” I let out a low sigh and start taking the curlers out of my hair. “I guess I don’t need these.”
“You’re going to call it off? Just like that?”
“I trust you, Dalton. For all my misgivings, I still trust you. And if I’m honest, something about him didn’t feel right. I wish we could somehow bring him to justice.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve got Brett doing some investigating. He will see what he can do to help the police.”
“You would do that?”
“I would, and I am.” He stretches his arms. “I know you think I overstep at times, but my heart is in the right place.”
“I’m glad.” I smile at him and pull out more curlers. “You’re not so bad, Leone.”
I grab my phone and text Parker. Date is off. Don’t call. And then I block his number.
“That’s done then,” I mumble, more relieved than upset.
“If you want, we can go on a date.” He almost whispers the words.
“Dalton, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I’m free this afternoon. Toby’s on a play date with someone who goes to his preschool. I have a couple of hours.”
“But we both know we’re not looking for the same thing.”
“I guess that’s true,” he says hesitantly. “I wanted to apologize for the other day, by the way.”
“Apologize for what?” I frown.
He takes a step closer to me and holds my hand. “When Toby called you Mommy.”
“Yeah, what was that?”
“I really don’t know.” He shakes his head. “It surprised me. I know it took you aback as well. I could see it on your face.”
“He’s a really good kid. He’s a great kid, in fact,” I say. “I like spending time with him. I wasn’t sure if you’d put him up to it to try and sabotage another date I was on.”
“I wouldn’t deliberately sabotage your date, Sage.”
“You wouldn’t?”
I cock my head to the side, and he bursts out laughing.
“Okay, maybe I would just a little bit, but nothing crazy.”
“Yeah, you didn’t crazy sabotage my dates. You just sabotaged my dates, and now you’re giving me information that shows that my potential match is a psycho.”
“I wouldn’t say psycho. I’d say sociopath.” He grins as he takes another step toward me. “I can help you with the curlers if you want.” He reaches up and unwinds one of the curlers and pulls it out. “I like the bounce,” he says, playing with my hair.
“I should be so mad at you right now, Dalton Leone.”
“But you’re not.” His lips twist up at the side.
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t overthink it, Sage.”
“What do you mean, don’t overthink it?”
“Whatever’s going through your mind right now, stop it.
Maybe you don’t have to have everything figured out.
Maybe everything won’t go according to plan.
Maybe I’m not going to be the billionaire you marry who puts you up in a life of luxury, and maybe that’s okay.
Maybe now that we have each other, we just enjoy it. ”
My lower lip trembles. “But maybe I need more than that, Dalton. Maybe I need—”
“Maybe you need what?” He grabs me around the waist and pulls me into him. “Maybe you just need this,” he says.
He presses his lips against me. I wrap my arms around his shoulders and kiss him back. I moan as I melt into him, and his hands run down my back.
“Maybe you just need right here and right now, Sage. Maybe this is what life is all about.”
“But what about after now?” I say, pulling away slightly.
“What about it?” he asks.
He reaches down, unbuttons his shirt, and opens it so I can see his naked chest. I swallow hard.
“What are you doing, Dalton?”
“Maybe I’m being vulnerable, putting myself on a platter for you. I guess I’m wondering, what do you want to do next?”
All I can think is that I don’t know. All I can think is that this wasn’t part of the plan. Maybe, just maybe, that’s okay.
“I’m waiting,” Dalton says as he pulls his shirt off and drops it to the ground. “Your move, Sage. What’s it going to be? What do you want it to be?”
“I don’t know. I’m scared if I tell you, my wish won’t come true.”
“Try me,” he says, grinning.
I reach out and run my fingers down his chest. “Tell me your wish, and I’ll see if I have a genie in a bottle.”
“Well, will the genie give me one, two, or three wishes?” he asks.
“I don’t know. How many do you think?”
“All I need is one,” he says. “You can have the other two.”
I smile at him, and then I take a step forward. “Okay then, Dalton, what’s your one wish?”